Holder



patented July 11A, 1.95.0

ivfff UNITED .STTES' PATENT' OFFICE HOLDER y Y Murray Margo,"Hawthorne,l Calif. k J {ApplicationAugust 19, 1944, Serial No. 550,187'

f. f-Ihis invention has to l., do

particularreference to a holder for handling-arti- `cles suchas' soap, toilet paper, land the like. It 1s va, ,general objectrof` theinvention to `provide a holder for. articles such as lthose mentioned, which i* is simple and inexpensive of manufacture and also highly emcient and convenient to use.

The invention has to do, generally, with im- L `provements in holders of the type wherein a pair vof opposed pivoted arms are related to engage vand hold an article between them by reason of 1 the'action of `gravity on the `arms and on the article itself.

In accordance with present invention I pro- `alignment or in truly opposed relation one to the --othen A It is another object offthisfinvention to provide aholder of the generalcharacterireferred to 'f involving avery simple'zand `effective means normally yiel-dingly urging the armsin or together to maintain them in gripping engagement 4with an article-arrangedbetween them. The present 4 claims. (o1. 24e-55.2) .l

with a holder and has Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a form of the invention having arms for holding a roll gof,toilet-'paperorthe like.` Fig. '7 `is a planlview of, the holdery shown in Fig.. 6 showingna roll of -by line 8 8 on Fig. '7, and Fig. 9 is a detailed sectional view taken as indicated by line9-9 on Fig. 6. v

The present invention provides improved fea- Htures of construction for a holder of the general type which is the subjectof my issued Patent No.

- invention provides a simple, helical spring cou-" 1 tageous manner.. l; `.It-is another-.object i a-v holderof thergeneral character referred to in pled inthe mechanism so it acts in a most advanof this invention to provide Y which the lgripping arms are provdedfat theirk outer ends withheads shaped to engage vand centerda roll of paper, or the like, between the arms. AAiurther object of the inventionls to provide ,v improvementsvin means ,for stopping or limiting .the pivotal ,movement of the arms in a holder` Lsuch'ashavereferred to. 1. f vThe various v4objects and-features of myinvenpanyingdrawings, in which:l

i andvdesignsuitable forengaging and holding soap,

Vor thelike., Fig. 2,is-a plan view of the holder Fig. 1 is airont orface view of a holder embodying the invention showing gripping arms of a type showing the general conguration of the arms.

vFig. 3 isa backor rear view. of the holder, being a `viewtaken substantially:als-.indicated by line 3.-3 onFig. 2. Fig; 4 is an enlarged detailed sectional Vview taken as indicated by line `lI--II on Fig. 3. Fig.,.'5lis a reduced `view similar toFig. 1

l, showin`g`the holder applied jtofa 'support such'as .aanvallend shoving. a .care .0f ,Soep A,held Lihfsmof the gripping arms.v

2,153,840, issued April 11, 1,939. In practice the `improvements which I provide are applicable to holders for toilet paper, soap, or other articles. In the drawings IA have shown in Figs. l to 5 a holder designed` primarily tov handle soap, or the like. It will be apparent fromthe following description that certain features of construction may be varied in order to adapt the holder to special uses, Whereas there are other features of construction common to the two forms shown and which are applicable, generally, to holders of th general type referred to. c

l Referring in particular to thev form -of the invention shown in Fig. 1 the device involves, generally, a `hase I0, a pair of arms I I, pivotal mounting meansgIZ for the arms, means I3 coupling the i arms so they vWork yin synchronism, and other details or features such as means normally yieldingly urging the arms toward each other, stop means for the arms, etc.

The base I0 of theholder vserves as a mounting or frame forthe various other parts of the device and is intended to be applied to a wall or other 4like support. In practiceV itis desirable to make The flange I5 extends fanV enough rearward of the front I4 so that a suitable chamber or cavity I6 is established in thebasewhen the base is applied to a support such 'as a iwall W. i In the `drawings I have shown a pair of openings II provided inthe front I4 of the base designed to pass mounting screws. In the oase illustrated the outer ends of the openings I'I-are counterbored at I8 and bosses I9v are provided on the inner side ofthe front I4` to f orm parts for effectively hold- `ing or carrying the mounting screws. "As Will be described later, one of the bosses may be employed as part of the ,stopv means for limiting movement `Inpractice the general form or'shape of the openings 4 I 3 base I may vary widely. However, I prefer to make it in the form of an elongate member or structure generally rectangular in shape, as shown in Fig. l. I make the base long enough to carry the pivotal mounting means of the arms 5 in the desired spaced relationship and I make the base wide enough or of suiicient vertical extent to give it adequate bearing engagement on the wall W.

The two gripping arms II provided by my in- Fig.v 2 of the drawings thefbody portions 0f the gripping arms are; infe-ffectjdiagonally disposed to project'from thepoints of pivotal mounting outwardly and toward each other 'to carry the '25 tip orl gripping portions "22 of the gripping arms at ja point spaced forward from the base and so that they oppose eachother. Inv the form of the invention shown in Fig. 1 the gripping portions '22 extend parallel with the base and their L30 end'sl'are bevelled at v'23 to form points 24 toengage the varticle or soaps 'as shown-in Fig. 5.

1 Inprac't'i'ce 'I- prefer tfvorm'the gripping arms of heavy wire or light bar/stock, in which `case 'the body portion-s are lle'ftstraig'ht, as shown in the drawings, while the A*portions 22 are bent to b'e paallelwith the bas'e-I IU land-are 'dressed'off at 23 to vform'the points 24.

The pivotal mounting 'means I2 provided for 'carrying the gripping arm'sm'aybe the same for -each of the arms'.v I'h'ave shown in the vdrawings, the mounting 'linear-1s for each arm 'II finvolves a spindle 'projectih'g'inwardly from the inner end of the body portion20 AVf thefar'm to be rotatably carried in a-'bearing o'peningl in a 1- boss 32 providedv onine from I4 of the has@ In. 45.

lThe boss 32 "may be coniined to the front "of the base. I-Ioweve'r, inpractioe prefer to provide a boss 33 at the inner side'of the base part I4 and I extend 'thebearing-"opening-SI through .the`

structure so'thatthe' spindle 30 'enters the or- 50 ward end of the boss 32 a'ridextends to the rear I -e'doifitnebosses? practicar .proportion the bosses just described so that the bearing opening3l is long enough to form an effective bearfv ing supportforthespindle "38. The spindle -30` 55.

is preferably formed integral with thearm.

The means I3 'coupling the 'arms so that they move in synchronism` preferably includes'lever arms 4B attached tothe inner end of the Aspindles SII andv a linkv 4I-connecting the 'two lever arms 60 40. In the'preferred-construction the'inner ends of the spindles 43l) terminate 'flush with theends 42 of the'bosses 33 andare provided with keyflike projections 43 which t correspondingly shaped openings in the arms 4'0jwhich are preferablylinc5 vthe form of plates. The key projections l3nt the openings in thelever arms so that the arms and spindles arevkeyed together against relative rotation and the key projections are'A riveted orl turned over at 44 so' that the arms 4U are retained 7o on the ends of the spindles. "Ilhrou'ghfthis coristruction the armsf engage the ends 42 or the bosses 33 to retain the s'pindles'3lvl; thebearing 'Tnearm's are'anangea on the spindle-seo that rar'rr'r viniy -connection withithe stopped in a given position'a 'd the other gripiength ofthe iiiii'; 'zu

the one at one end of the device extends up while the one at the other end of the device extends down and away from said other end of the device, that is, one extends up and out while the other extends down and in, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The link 4I is pivotally connected to the outer end portions of the two arms 43 and extends in a generally diagonal direction through the cavity IBin the base. The link connect'sthe arms 40 so that they 'are coupled to move in opposite directions 'whenever' operated. Through the arms 4I] and link 4I when one of the 'gripping arms I I is moved about its pivotal sup- .port or mounting I2 the other gripping arm is The, -15

ing but'in'the opposite direction.

' TI;o;faci1itate adjustment of the construction correspondingly moved about its pivotal mountthus far described so that the gripping arms II a'ieHlinked together so that the points 24 will accurately register ina position such as I have i1 shown in Fig. l, I provide for'var-ying the length o'f'the connecting link 4l. In the preferredv construction I bend .the'link intermediate its ends so vthatthe link ican be further bent one way or the other to either` lengthen or shorten it as between the points where it pivotally connects to the arms 40.' In the preferred construction the link 4I is Vformed of a wire of suitable weight and its ends are turned at to form pins that arie rotatably carried in openings in the arms 40. The wire is bent atA points 51I intermediate its ends to form a diagonal connecting part 52. In practice a person to adjust the length of` the link 4I can grip the diagonal connecting part 52 by means of a suitable tool such as a pair of pliers and by a suitable twisting motion can change the bends 5I. Through changing `the bends 5I, 'as above described; the link can be readily adjusted, that is, it can be either lengthel'iedl 01" shortened atw'ill.'

Inpractice Iv provide means for yieldingly urging the gripping arms IaI .inwardly or downwardly toward each other to'gripanobject as shown in Fig. 5. rIihis means ispreferably a small or light helical spring having one end connected to oneof the bosses -IQ-and'the otherend connected to the arm 40'wh-ich is 'adjacentthat boss I9. In practice when the device is in operation', as shown inf'Fig. A5,grav-ity"acting on the' gripping arms II tends to' move Ithem Vinto gripping engagement withlthesoap's. However, itis'desirable to suppleme'ritthis action by' means of the spring 60.'

Further, in accordance with, my invention I provide' for stepping 'the' pivotal movement of thefgrippin'garms under the influence of either gravity or 'thel spring/EDIF@ this purpose I locate the openings I'I and the bossesIS'through which the openings I'I pass somewhat inwardor toward the center 'of the'fstructure from vthe points wheretheVg/ippinjg' arms are connected to lthe base. The looss 'adjacent the arm 4D `that extends downward "andjinvvaifd is located so *that that arm engages it and is'thus stopped when the gripping v'armicoifi-r-iefctec'i'to lthat arm 'is -in a 'predeterminedp" vkzjt'rital position, las: Vshown-`in"1ig z1. -Thi`s said arm r40 i'sshown stopped against A'the said bossl 9 ion, y"fr"instance, in ahoriin Fig. 3 oi the-drawings. When a 4stop-means is'provided, asI haveiustidescrib'ed, lthe"'gripping f id arm f40f will be pingai'h: canfbe'adjust d to it by `varyi'ngtlie y I ,"a vrbo'veidescribed; "From the `forego s'cription"`it""will be is extremely simple and inexpensive of manujusted to bring the gripping arms into the proper cooperative relationship.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 6 to. 9, inclusive, the gripping arms Ila are designed to carry or hold a roll R of toilet paper, or the like. The armsmay be similar, generally, to those hereinabove described, although they `are proportioned somewhat differently and the -tips 22a are different than those hereinabove described. The tips 22a' are preferably in the form of conical heads applied to the ends of the arms so that the conical parts enter the center or opening of the roll I-I. In the construction illustrated the tips are shown in the form of small castings applied to the outer end portions 'Il of the arms Ila which arm portions are turned to extend parallel with the base l0. When the conical tips 22ab of the gripping arms enter a roll R, as shown in Fig. 7, the roll is effectively held and the downward pressure exerted by gravity and that created by the spring 60 combine so that the conical tips frictionally engage the roll R holding it against free turning. In practice the parts `are related so that the inward movement of the arms is stopped by the ends of the roll R before the pivotal action is stopped as hereinafter described so the friction created by gravity acting on the roll is sufficient to hold the roll R against being spun or excessively turned when paper is torn therefrom by` a jerking action, and

yet is not sufficient to prevent the roll from being turned when a slow pull is applied to the paper to withdraw it from the roll.

In the form of the invention being described if the roll is not in place the pivotal action of the gripping arms is stopped not by one of the lever arms 40 engaging a boss but rather by the arms 40 engaging or stopping against the ange I5 of the base at the ends of the base. In this form of the invention it is desirable to stop the motion of the arms in both directions, theA parts being related and proportioned so that one of the arms 40 engages the flange l5 at one end of `the base to stop the motion in one direction while the other arm engages the flange at the other end or base to stop the motion in the other direction.

The link 4l which connects the arms 40 may be provided with'rneans for adjustment as above described and, further, I prefer to provide the construction with detent means which serves to yieldingly hold the arms in active position, as shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings. This detent means preferably includes a hump 80 formed on the link 4I to cooperate with a lug 8l projecting inward from the front of the base. The hump 80 is related to the lug 8| so that it passes over the rlug as the arms are moved in from a parted position to the active position shown in Fig. 7, the link 4| being sprung somewhat out of normal position as the hump thereon is forced over the lug. This detent means serves to yieldingly retain the gripping arms in the active position and prevent accidental displacement of the roll from .the arms in the event that pressure is applied to the roll tending to lift it in a manner that would tend to cause the gripping arms to release it. To release the gripping arms it is necessary to deliberately swing them up and cause the hump 80 to pass over the lug 8l.

Having described only typical preferred forms and applications of my invention, I do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specic details herein set forth, but wish to reserve to myself any variations or modifications that may appear scope of the following claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A holder of the character described including a substantially flat base, a pair of arms pivotally mounted on the base on axes perpendicular to the base, the arms having opposed gripping portions spaced forward of the front of the base, opposed tips on the outer ends of the arms in the form of heads to engage and support a roll of paper, and means connecting the arms for simultaneous opposite operation including leversv connected to the arms and a link connecting the levers.

2. A holder of the character described including a substantially flat base, a pair of arms pivotally mounted on the base on axes perpendicular to the base, the arms having opposed grippingl portions spaced forward of the front of the base, opposed tips on the outer ends of the arms in the form of conically shaped heads to engage the arms, a link connecting the levers, the linkk being bent intermediate its end to be variable as to length to adjust the relationship of the arms, and a spring normally yieldingly urging one of the levers in a direction to urge the gripping portions toward each other, the axes of the two gripping portions being in a common plane parallel with and forward of the base.

4. A holder of the character described including a base, a pair of arms pivotally mounted on the base on axes perpendicular to the base, the

arms having body portions projecting from the base and opposed gripping portions projecting from the outer ends of the arms, and means connecting the arms including levers on the arms, a

link having 'substantially parallel end portions y connected to the levers, the link having a connecting portion between the end portions angularly related to the end portions and offsetting the end portions, the connecting portion being variable relative to the end portions to change the length of the link, and an operating spring attached to one of the arms.

- MURRAY MARGO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 390,084 Lane Sept. 25, 1888 485,102 Grantland Oct. 25, 1892 1,080,022 Safro et al. Dec. 2, 1913 1,778,282 Stewart Oct. 14, 1930 2,153,840 Margolith Apr. 11, 1939 

